Miley Cyrus told a sold-out Hollywood Bowl crowd on Sunday night that her late godmother Dolly Parton reached out to her from beyond the grave — flickering the lights in her hallway moments after Cyrus silently asked her to. The 33-year-old singer, clutching a heart-shaped frame holding Parton's photo, shared the ghostly encounter during the second of her two special Los Angeles shows, dedicating the performance to the country legend who died in August.
The mannequin, the candle and "Jolene"
"I actually have a Dolly mannequin in my bedroom. She gave it to me for Christmas. It's dressed like her, it's built like her," Cyrus told the crowd, in video captured by Entertainment Weekly. Alone one night after a recent show, she propped up her phone, played a video of Parton performing "Jolene" for the mannequin, lit a candle, and placed a flower beside it.
Then came the part that hushed the Bowl. "I said, 'Dolly, if you're here right now, flicker the lights,'" Cyrus recalled — adding that she never said it out loud. "The entire hallway started flickering." She pointed to a collaborator on stage who she said could vouch for what happened: "He was there, but he didn't know what I said. So, I know she's here with me tonight."
"I know she's here with me tonight"
Visibly emotional, Cyrus said she could feel Parton's presence on stage with her — a comfort as she navigates feelings she admitted she is "most afraid of." "Having her here with me is getting me through, and having you here with me is getting me through," she told the audience. She closed the moment with a vow: "No matter what it takes, this show is for you and for Dolly."
Her fiancé, Maxx Morando, was the witness she named — present for the flickering lights, unaware of the silent request that preceded them.
A bond that outlived death
The connection between the two stars runs back to Cyrus's birth in 1992, when her parents, Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus — close friends of Parton — asked the country icon to be Miley's godmother. Parton, who died on August 25 at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer, remained a mentor and collaborator throughout Cyrus's career, from Hannah Montana to their joint performances.
The supernatural story followed an already tearful weekend. At her first Hollywood Bowl show on Friday, October 16 — her first concert in nearly four years — Cyrus broke down singing "Jolene" before famous faces including Selena Gomez and Christina Aguilera. "Me and Dolly, we are eternal. Nothing in this life could ever tear us apart," she said that night. "And I'm gonna see her again. I can't wait because I miss her." The shows mark a new chapter for Cyrus, whose 10th studio album Bass Persuades was released on September 18.
Takeaway: Whether a trick of old wiring or a message from beyond, the flickering lights gave Miley Cyrus exactly what she needed on a difficult night — the feeling that Dolly Parton is still watching over her. For the fans at the Hollywood Bowl, it was a reminder that some bonds don't end at goodbye.
Watch: TMZ's video of Miley Cyrus's tearful on-stage tribute to Dolly Parton at the Hollywood Bowl
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Heartbreaking (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: Entertainment Weekly, People, Parade, Page Six